Group says James Teare help gather info for John Leopold's 'enemies list'

The American Civil Liberties Union said it wants to add former Anne Arundel County police Chief James Teare to a lawsuit it filed against the county and former Executive John Leopold in regards to an "enemies list" Leopold had police officers put together.

Embattled Anne Arundel County Police Department Chief James Teare is retiring; a move that will bring an end to an investigation into his conduct that arose after the county executive was indicted earlier this year.

The ACLU said audio tapes it obtained revealed allegations that Teare, who resigned last July, played a direct role in Leopold's use of the county police force to do research on his personal and political enemies.

The audio tapes were of interviews with Leopold's executive protection officers. The ACLU said they also show the existence of a dossier on Karla Hamner (Hamner recording | transcript), a former employee who has accused Leopold and the county of harassment and discrimination, despite the county's denial of having such a document.

The ACLU is also opposing motions by the county and Leopold to dismiss the case on grounds that citizens shouldn't be able to enforce a provision in the law that prohibits government officials from collecting, using and disseminated personal information about private citizens.

“The County Executive’s argument that ... the court should throw the case out and hold that Maryland citizens cannot enforce the state’s prohibition on creating personal records without a sufficient governmental need is truly disgraceful," said ACLU Staff Attorney David Rocah. "That the county itself would adopt the same argument is equally offensive."

The ACLU lawsuit, filed in December 2012, alleges that personal information was improperly collected and retained on people Leopold considered to be political rivals or enemies and that the information was improperly withheld when it was requested by people who thought they were being targeted.

In two of the audio tapes, police Cpl. Howard Brown (Brown recording | transcript) said Teare helped in gathering information on certain dossiers, including one against former County Councilmember and candidate Thomas Redmond. Brown also said employees were being used to get information on Hamner, even though the county denied those allegations as recently as February.

Leopold was convicted in January on two counts of misconduct in office, partially because of the order to collect the dossiers.

After that conviction, the county reported to the ACLU that dossiers were compiled on Redmond, Carl Snowden, Lewis Bracy and Jacqueline Allsup. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include those individuals, as well as Hamner, Joan Harris, Marvenise Harris, Eugene Peterson, Eric Scott, John Singleton and Mike Shay.

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